Under the Health Professions Act (HPA), the College must have a Patient Relations Program that includes measures for preventing and addressing sexual abuse and sexual misconduct by members towards their patients. The Patient Relations Program also provides funding for treatment or counselling to patients who are the victims of sexual abuse or sexual misconduct by a member of the College.
- A patient may access funds for up to five years or until the maximum amount of funding has been provided, whichever occurs first.
- Funds cease if the complaint is dismissed.
- The patient may choose any regulated health professional to provide treatment or counselling, subject to the following restrictions:
- The regulated member does not have a conflict of interest (i.e., not a family member)
- The regulated member is in good standing with their regulatory college
- Funding can only be used to cover the cost of treatment or counselling.
For a patient to be eligible:
- A complaint must be made regarding a member of the College, and must meet the definition of sexual abuse or sexual misconduct.
- The individual is a patient as defined by the Standards of Practice.
The College uses a third party to administer the program. This third party also offers treatment and counselling services or will manage payment to a qualified provider of the patient’s choice. For treatment and counselling inquiries, please contact the Complaints Director at complaintsdirector@acmdtt.com.